A Bad Omen
by Rightplace
Summary: James hadn't really known what to expect when he had joined the Order, but being thrown right into the thick of it was certainly not it. (Oneshot)


The graduation had only been last Thursday and James was already beginning to doubt his sudden decision to join Dumbledore's Order. It was probably Lily's fault, he reflected while the Order waited for the trap to spring in the clearing which they had surrounded, after all she had been the one to suggest it and he had never been able to say no to her. At the time he had though at least it would keep things interesting, but now...

"What's going on? I thought they were supposed to be here by now?" Asked James to no one in particular.

It was old Mad Eye Moody who answered "Ey, looks like Dumbledore's sources aren't quite as good as he says. But I reckon it can't be long now,"

Just as he finished speaking a resounding crack could be heard echoing throughout the clearing and twenty one silver masked figures appeared. James, along with all the other immediately opened fire, James leading with a bludgeoning hex designed to break through most shields. The Death Eaters, while disoriented, quickly rallied and deflected or shielded against the spells coming their way and stated responding with their own. James quickly dived to the side of a killing curse sent by a tall blonde man and shouted to Moody

"Now what?" The opening barrage had been designed to end the fight there.

"Keep firing, don't give them a chance to recover!" Moody replied, sending another curse at a large muscular Death Eater with viscous accuracy.

James found this particular instruction far more difficult than it sounded, as a bright red curse cut through the air and nearly eviscerated him before being mostly blocked by a quickly conjured stone, leaving him with only a slight nick on the chest. Still, he returned fire, an explosion curse shot out of his wand with a shouted "Confringo!"

The curse was batted aside by the long haired blonde and reposted with a cruelly muttered "Crucio."

James felt as though the world was burning, his vision turned almost red and every nerve shouted out with pain before, after barely a second the curse was lifted as the man was forced to block a spell cast by another Order member. "Alright there, James?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" Said James shakily as he looked around for the person who saved him from the pain, but was unable to find them in the ongoing fight.

He stood up, opening once again with a spell and continuing to fight. He soon realized that this was not working, the Orders spells never met their targets and despite superior numbers the enemy was easily holding their own, managing to mostly hold the offensive in the battle. James was contemplating this conundrum when an opening presented itself; one of the Death Eaters had moved to the side to block a spell cast by Fabian Prewitt, leaving another Death Eater who was focusing heavily on dueling the other ginger twin open. James took the opportunity and did not waste time, silently conjuring a dagger and banishing it directly into the Death Eaters chest. He screamed and Gideon took the opportunity to cast a blasting curse which finished him off. James' world seemed slow as he took a second to process the end of life he had caused. It was perhaps easier given the masks but he still felt dizzy and nauseous for a second before Gideon called: "Come on James, we've got them now!"

After this it became apparent that the battle was won, even one loss was devastating to a force so small, and, as James would later learn, the Death Eater he had killed had been no small loss to them-Akiva Yaxley, one of their most potent duelists and users of the imperius curse. The order pressed their offensive, but just as they started to push forward a presence filled the air.

James turned and saw a figure, tall and robed in clothes seemingly made from smoke, appearing without a sound in the middle of the clearing.

Lord Voldemort had come.

His magical presence had immediately engulfed the Order, a feeling like tentacles or feelers reaching out and becoming aware of the surroundings. It quickly turned malicious, if before they had been tentacles poking and prodding for weakness, now they wrapped around them and crushed. To James this felt as though his own magic was being suffocated, constricted until nothing remained. He finally understood the terror with which people spoke about this lord of dark magic. He made to raise his wand but found himself unable to, shaking with unnatural fear. In fact, as he looked around he realized none of the order were able to move, even old veterans like Moody had found themselves paralyzed by a soundless spell cast by the figure. James soon found his head ripped from looking around to face the man-if indeed he could be called that. The crimson eyes, pupils slit like a predator, bored into him and he swiftly found himself trying desperately to defend his mind from a legilimency probe which had entered him without warning and easily squashed any resistance it found without hesitation, in less than a second the Dark Lord had every bit of information from his mind which could be useful to his cause. James knew that had he wanted to Voldemort could have enslaved him to his will without question, instead he turned his head to the Order member beside him without word, leaving James free to look around. The Death Eaters themselves all stood with heads bowed, rapturous before their leader, while the Order members were all either disoriented, staring into the Dark Lords baleful gaze, or doing as James was.

Finally Voldemort's inspection came to a close, his serpentine face moving out from the last of the members and his lipless mouth twisting up in what some could describe as a smile. "I admit, I am disappointed." He taunted, "I had hoped that Dumbledore's fearsome fighting force, who had managed many times to face my own in combat, would be better, but it seems as though I am mistaken, an event I assure you does not happen frequently. Then again, I suppose it is to be expected for mudbloods and blood-traitors to be pathetic." The Death Eaters laughed at this, cackling almost madly. The Dark Lords eyes narrowed.

"Quiet! You have failed me today, you were losing-you had lost! To this group! Yaxley is dead! He was one of the most loyal, you shall all be punished sseverely for this failure." His hissed, almost phasing into parseltongue, the Death Eaters quieted at this, and seemed to tremble, something James would look back on as one of the reasons he had stuck to Dumbledore, despite all the temptation and fear of those years he knew the other side was equally, if not more terrified of their leader.

"But there will be time for that later, now I must _Deal _with them, an event I assure you," Now referring to the Order. "I will enjoy tremendously." He finished with a warped smirk.

He proceeded to raise his wand for the first time since his arrival, his pale fingers seeming much longer and narrower than should be possible on a human hand, and slashed it down towards the Order, fire spewing from the tip. I took James a second to recognize this as what it was, cursed fire, fiendfyre, the devils flame, all failed to describe it. It is the most difficult spell to control, and if the users will faltered-even for a second, they would be consumed. Voldemort conjured a massive basilisk of fire, holding it perfectly still for a second, the fire not even considering attempting to escape, instead looking hungrily at the Order.

The world stilled as the snake reared back before shooting forward towards the Order, James felt the infernal heat start to touch him and contemplated his death before, as sudden as it came the fire was gone, swept up into the air and destroyed with an ear-splitting shriek.

James rejoiced and felt the bonds holding him still loosen.

Dumbledore had arrived, and not a moment too soon, James thought.

Voldemort's magic had been suffocating, hoping to devour and conquer everything around it, where Dumbledore's was warm and soft, like a thick woolen blanket wrapped around him, the phoenix song announcing his presence only extending the feeling. The Death Eaters seemed to feel otherwise, they shifted uncomfortably at the magic and groaned in pain and covered their ears at the cry of Fawkes. "Dumbledore. I see you have once again decided to grace the world with your presence at their time of need. Very well, my Death Eater will make quick work of your followers as we duel" Voldemort sneered mockingly, irreverent at the sight of the phoenix and its owner.

"I do not believe things will be quiet as easy for you as you seem to believe, purity of heart and courage can and will always stand strong against darkness and inhumanity." Dumbledore replied, though James rather doubted the veracity of his statement

Voldemort sneered and broke the anti-apparation wards, the two quickly apparating to the side and beginning their duel.

Quickly battle once again began between the Order and the Death Eaters, James opening with a solvo of conjured daggers, which impacted into a sheet of conjured wood, and the battle resumed.

Quickly James became distracted by the ongoing battle of the titans to the side, Dumbledore transfigured five stone lions which leapt at Voldemort only to be destroyed by five silently cast killing curses-James had never seen anyone cast more than one in a fight, they were supposed to be exhausting-in less than three seconds and Voldemort responded with a twirl of the wand which turned the stone bodies into silver spears which were swiftly banished forwards towards Dumbledore, who merged the speers together and heated them into a liquid state before-James barely dodged a rupturing curse, "Get back in the fight, James!" It was Marlene McKinnon, Sirius' girlfriend, James didn't know her well but. But she herself had become distracted by his near death and took a killing curse from the blond man to her chest, her body falling limply to the ground as the man who had sent the curse laughed from under the mask, the sound distorted and foul. James pushed her death out of his mind, trying as hard as he could not to blame himself and get distracted again, and pushed on with grim determination. But now the outcome of the battle had become clear, that loss had only been the last straw, Moody lost a leg to a slashing curse-James winced and knew that it could not be healed, and was forced to portkey back to Hogwarts. Soon the fight was over, Dumbledore gave the order and they all said the keyword: "Hogwarts" and portkeyed away.

That night, after the debrief, as James lay in bed with his wife-who had been on the other side of the clearing, Dumbledore tried to keep people close to each other apart in battles as far as he knew, to keep them from being distracted-and he reflected on the bad omen that came with having his first battle be a loss.


End file.
